Context

This line is spoken by Cherry Valance, played by John Ireland in the film Red River, co-directed by Howard Hawks and Arthur Rosson (1948).

Cherry Valance, a sharp shootin' cowboy, has just signed up for a big cattle drive. He meets Matt Garth, another cowboy already riding with the herd. The two hit it off right away, with big toothy smiles and a sparkle in their eyes. Is there a bromance brewing or something more like Brokeback Mountain? Cherry admires Matt's gun and says the famous quote above, but as he says it, it looks like the gun is not all he's admiring. Or maybe not? Well, it's just a scene about two guys and their guns.

Apparently, the director wanted to add a level of homosexual tension to the movie and got away with it in squeaky-clean 1948 Hollywood.

But the real story? The actors who played Matt and Cherry (Montgomery Clift and John Ireland) were apparently having an affair during filming.

Where you've heard it

If you're hanging around the shooting range, a rodeo, a gun show, or a dude ranch, you might just hear it.

Additional Notable References

• A tribute to Montgomery Clift.
• John Ireland in the movies.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Bromance or not, you don't go playing with guns unless you're packin' a water pistol in July.